Torque Converter Shutter??? - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

crawdad · 09-01-2006, 09:46 AM

I've got a vibration that I notice when I start up my truck and before I put it in gear. It feels like it is coming from the transmission, but I'm not sure at this point. I've been told it might be the torque converter. Is there any way to isolate the torque converter to see if that's the cause? What should I check? I've checked the u-joints and they look and feel good. I've also looked at the harmonic balancer and it looks ok as well. The vibration does seem to go away when I get the truck up to speed. The only time that it really gets my attention is when I'm idleing in park. Thanks for any suggestions. BTW, this is the '86 and it has a 700R4 tranny.

piecesparts · 09-01-2006, 10:35 AM

Hey Crawdad:::: first of all I would look at the flexplate and see if it is cracked. The factory plates had a bad habit of cracking around the bolt holes where the torque converter and the crank bolts go through. I have had to replace several of them in my time. Take the flexplate cover off and then put a pry bar up to push the plate forward or backwards to see if the cracks reveal themselves. I replaced a flexplate once with a standard plate and the new one broke also, so I replaced it with a heavy duty SFI rated flexplate and never had problems after that. I experienced a noise coming out from under my 91 Silverado not long ago (after I swapped starters to an aftermarket magnetic brand) that sounded like a scraping noise. With some troubleshooting, it became evident that the flexplate was dragging on the starter drive gear when the engine was deccelerating on the road. This was due to the ballooning of the torque converter, So I replaced that flex plate also with a heavy duty plate and the trouble went away.

These are available at many Parts outlets or througgh Summit, Jegs, etc...

crawdad · 09-01-2006, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piecesparts

Hey Crawdad:::: first of all I would look at the flexplate and see if it is cracked. The factory plates had a bad habit of cracking around the bolt holes where the torque converter and the crank bolts go through.

Thanks, I'll climb under it this weekend and check er out. I had heard that something, torque converter or flexplate, were known to go bad, I just didn't remember which one. Appreciate the info.

piecesparts · 09-01-2006, 02:07 PM

Be sure to look close, the cracks will be fine and hard to see. Look in more than one place on the plate.

lilpup69chevy · 09-01-2006, 02:10 PM

well i had a 93 gmc that had that same problem went through 3 flywheels and a torque convertor after the last fit i finally gave in and had it rebuilt never had the flywheel break again

crawdad · 09-01-2006, 02:24 PM

I'm going to take a close look at the flexplate this weekend. If I see anything, I'm going to replace it, and will probably replace the torque converter at the same time. The tranny is working great. Shifts are nice a smooth, no slippage, etc. I don't want to get into rebuilding it unless I have to.

piecesparts · 09-01-2006, 04:13 PM

If you do a converter change out, shop around for a good one to allow for an upgrade, to get a better performance out of your combination. Do a little reasearch, before you buy. I am presently running a 2400 stall converter in my 700 R4 tranny, due to the cam that I am running. I would recommend the comapny that I chose from for a converter. They are at this website: http://www.gopnh.com/

crawdad · 09-01-2006, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piecesparts

I would recommend the comapny that I chose from for a converter. They are at this website: http://www.gopnh.com/

Thanks for the link. I'll check em out.

mrjs80 · 09-02-2006, 10:54 PM

I just had the same problem about a week ago on my 80. I dropped the inspection cover to find 2 of the bolts and nuts for the torque converter sitting on the bottom of the cover. All the rest were about to fall out. So I put lock washers and lock tite and so far it solved the problem.

75Chevy90Kawi · 09-03-2006, 02:40 AM

mine did that... turns out the bolts that thread into my torque converter had stripped (low grade metal) and were loose/falling out. replacing torque converters is not fun. of course, i did mine under the worst of conditions.

piecesparts · 09-03-2006, 11:36 AM

Doesn;t that make you wonder, WHY bolts that are torqued into place would strip. There has to be a vibration causing that in the first place. Did you check the flexplate?

75Chevy90Kawi · 09-03-2006, 01:01 PM

yep, checked the plate too. nothing bad that i could see, and the holes weren't egg shaped either (only the little bit that they are supposed to be). havnt had the problem since. that was about 6k ago. the TC only lasted about 4-5k after a tranny rebuild and crate engine swap

krazymonkeys24 · 09-13-2006, 05:00 PM

One thing I have had success with as far as bolts stripping or coming out is to use a converter that takes nuts and bolts and instead of using the normal variety of nut with locktite, i use rocker stud nuts (you smack the top of them with a hammer and they lock down very well without the hassles of breaking locktite loose if you need to remove them for whatever reason). just my .02

09-01-2006, 09:46 AM	#1
crawdad Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Georgia Posts: 614	Torque Converter Shutter??? I've got a vibration that I notice when I start up my truck and before I put it in gear. It feels like it is coming from the transmission, but I'm not sure at this point. I've been told it might be the torque converter. Is there any way to isolate the torque converter to see if that's the cause? What should I check? I've checked the u-joints and they look and feel good. I've also looked at the harmonic balancer and it looks ok as well. The vibration does seem to go away when I get the truck up to speed. The only time that it really gets my attention is when I'm idleing in park. Thanks for any suggestions. BTW, this is the '86 and it has a 700R4 tranny. __________________ 2012 Silverado LT 1500, 5.3, 6 speed auto '86 SWB C-10 Silverado Last edited by crawdad; 09-01-2006 at 09:49 AM.

09-01-2006, 10:35 AM	#2
piecesparts Parts and more parts Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lebo, Kansas (middle of nowhere Posts: 6,821	Re: Torque Converter Shutter??? Hey Crawdad:::: first of all I would look at the flexplate and see if it is cracked. The factory plates had a bad habit of cracking around the bolt holes where the torque converter and the crank bolts go through. I have had to replace several of them in my time. Take the flexplate cover off and then put a pry bar up to push the plate forward or backwards to see if the cracks reveal themselves. I replaced a flexplate once with a standard plate and the new one broke also, so I replaced it with a heavy duty SFI rated flexplate and never had problems after that. I experienced a noise coming out from under my 91 Silverado not long ago (after I swapped starters to an aftermarket magnetic brand) that sounded like a scraping noise. With some troubleshooting, it became evident that the flexplate was dragging on the starter drive gear when the engine was deccelerating on the road. This was due to the ballooning of the torque converter, So I replaced that flex plate also with a heavy duty plate and the trouble went away. These are available at many Parts outlets or througgh Summit, Jegs, etc...

09-01-2006, 02:07 PM	#4
piecesparts Parts and more parts Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lebo, Kansas (middle of nowhere Posts: 6,821	Re: Torque Converter Shutter??? Be sure to look close, the cracks will be fine and hard to see. Look in more than one place on the plate.

09-01-2006, 02:10 PM	#5
lilpup69chevy 67-72 parts finder Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: southeast mo Posts: 788	Re: Torque Converter Shutter??? well i had a 93 gmc that had that same problem went through 3 flywheels and a torque convertor after the last fit i finally gave in and had it rebuilt never had the flywheel break again __________________ 1969 chevy shortstep 2wd (under construction) 1981 chevy scottsdale lwb 2wd (parts chaser) 2004 pontiac gto (daily driver) 2004 pontiac grand prix gt (the ol ladys car) 1985 chevy short wide 1970 chevy c10 lwb (another parts rig) 1969 gmc lwb (rainy day project) 1968 chevy lwb c10 250 I6 3 spd (soon to be swb)

09-01-2006, 02:24 PM	#6
crawdad Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Georgia Posts: 614	Re: Torque Converter Shutter??? I'm going to take a close look at the flexplate this weekend. If I see anything, I'm going to replace it, and will probably replace the torque converter at the same time. The tranny is working great. Shifts are nice a smooth, no slippage, etc. I don't want to get into rebuilding it unless I have to. __________________ 2012 Silverado LT 1500, 5.3, 6 speed auto '86 SWB C-10 Silverado

09-01-2006, 04:13 PM	#7
piecesparts Parts and more parts Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lebo, Kansas (middle of nowhere Posts: 6,821	Re: Torque Converter Shutter??? If you do a converter change out, shop around for a good one to allow for an upgrade, to get a better performance out of your combination. Do a little reasearch, before you buy. I am presently running a 2400 stall converter in my 700 R4 tranny, due to the cam that I am running. I would recommend the comapny that I chose from for a converter. They are at this website: http://www.gopnh.com/

09-02-2006, 10:54 PM	#9
mrjs80 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: chicago Posts: 62	Re: Torque Converter Shutter??? I just had the same problem about a week ago on my 80. I dropped the inspection cover to find 2 of the bolts and nuts for the torque converter sitting on the bottom of the cover. All the rest were about to fall out. So I put lock washers and lock tite and so far it solved the problem. Last edited by mrjs80; 09-02-2006 at 10:55 PM.

09-03-2006, 02:40 AM	#10
75Chevy90Kawi the green machine Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: marysville washington Posts: 333	Re: Torque Converter Shutter??? mine did that... turns out the bolts that thread into my torque converter had stripped (low grade metal) and were loose/falling out. replacing torque converters is not fun. of course, i did mine under the worst of conditions. __________________ 1975 Silverado - 450 horse crate 383 stroker, 20" Centerlines, Flowmaster exhaust, Hooker headers, full MSD ignition & more... 2003 Suzuki TL1000R 1985 Kawasaki JS550 hull - project ski - WILL have - 650, footholds, custom paint, 4* bars, bilge setup, and more... My pictures

09-03-2006, 11:36 AM	#11
piecesparts Parts and more parts Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lebo, Kansas (middle of nowhere Posts: 6,821	Re: Torque Converter Shutter??? Doesn;t that make you wonder, WHY bolts that are torqued into place would strip. There has to be a vibration causing that in the first place. Did you check the flexplate?

09-03-2006, 01:01 PM	#12
75Chevy90Kawi the green machine Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: marysville washington Posts: 333	Re: Torque Converter Shutter??? yep, checked the plate too. nothing bad that i could see, and the holes weren't egg shaped either (only the little bit that they are supposed to be). havnt had the problem since. that was about 6k ago. the TC only lasted about 4-5k after a tranny rebuild and crate engine swap __________________ 1975 Silverado - 450 horse crate 383 stroker, 20" Centerlines, Flowmaster exhaust, Hooker headers, full MSD ignition & more... 2003 Suzuki TL1000R 1985 Kawasaki JS550 hull - project ski - WILL have - 650, footholds, custom paint, 4* bars, bilge setup, and more... My pictures

09-13-2006, 05:00 PM	#13
krazymonkeys24 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kannapolis, North Carolina Posts: 23	Re: Torque Converter Shutter??? One thing I have had success with as far as bolts stripping or coming out is to use a converter that takes nuts and bolts and instead of using the normal variety of nut with locktite, i use rocker stud nuts (you smack the top of them with a hammer and they lock down very well without the hassles of breaking locktite loose if you need to remove them for whatever reason). just my .02 __________________ Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. Last edited by krazymonkeys24; 09-13-2006 at 05:01 PM.



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